Severe Weather Alert

Family rescued from Carbon Monoxide poisoning

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -- "When it's cold and there are ways that you can get Carbon Monoxide in your building, it's very beneficial to have one," said Chief Bryon Bensen, a Battalion Chief with the Eau Claire Fire Department.

He is talking about a Carbon Monoxide Detector. If you do not have one in your home, let this be a reminder that you should get one.

Chief Bensen says tonight the fire department got a call about Carbon Monoxide poisoning at a home on 1st Reserve Street in Eau Claire. When firefighters arrived, the CO levels were alarming. No Carbon Monoxide Detector was found inside.

"Our crews put on their SEBA air masks and made entry into the building, they were also carrying a handheld Carbon Monoxide meter which indicated very high levels inside the building," he said.

He says two children were able to get out of the house and firefighters found them with their grandmother outside when they arrived. The parents meanwhile, were unresponsive inside.

"Their condition was serious at the scene because CO poisoning can affect how much Oxygen gets to your brain, but last reports were they were doing better at the hospital," he added.

The chief said the CO poisoning came from a generator that was running in the basement.

"Anytime you run a gas powered device in a building, you will generate Carbon Monoxide," he added.

He says if you use a generator, it should be outside and far enough away from the building so the wind cannot blow the fumes back in.

And if you do not have a CO detector, you should get one. The chief says when it comes to this type of gas, moments matter.

"The outcome could have been different if they were in the building any longer than they were," he said.

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